HW_Sea Level NYC

EES 0836 Sea Level Rise in New York City Disasters: Geology vs. Hollywood Introduction We are going to start by examining some trends in relative sea level change. “Relative sea level changes” refer to changes in sea level relative to a point on land that is also changing. Individual coastlines undergo their own vertical changes due to tectonic activity, erosion, coastal subsidence, etc., so although global sea level as a whole is currently rising, different geographic areas are experiencing different local relative rates of sea level rise. In some places (like parts of Alaska), tectonic activity is causing gradual uplift of the coastline, so local relative sea level is actually falling, even while global sea levels rise . Learning Objectives : ● Indicate how sea level rise will have an impact on coastal areas in New York City. (2, 5, c) ● Criticize how the government responds to preparing our coastal areas for future flooding events. (2,3, d) Part 1 : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ( Navigate to the NOAA Sea Level Trend viewer. You should see a map like the one included that shows parts of North America and Central America. Take a look at the legend below the map, illustrating sea level trends listed in millimeters per year, and, in parentheses, feet per century. Every arrow on the map represents a different station along the coast that collects sea level data. The sea level trend measurement for each station can be viewed by clicking on the appropriate arrow .

EES 0836 Part 2 : New York City Zoom in on the map by clicking on “East Coast”. Compare the colors of the relative sea level trend arrows around Philadelphia and New Orleans . 1. What is the average relative sea level trend around Philadelphia? Express your answers in mm/year, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). Around the Delaware river there is a rise in the water levels that go to about 3.02 mm per year. This is a positive sea level trend. 2. What is it around New Orleans? Express your answers in mm/year, and make sure that your answer includes whether the sea level trend is positive (rising) or negative (dropping). In New Orleans we can look the Grand Isle Louisiana location. There is a rise by about 9.13 mm per year. 3. What do you think might explain the difference in relative sea level trends between Philadelphia (and most of the East Coast) and the area of the Gulf Coast around New Orleans? The Gulf Coast has land surrounding it that is starting to subside. So now the sea level is higher seeming, but the ground around has been affected therefore making it seem like there was a different kind of shift. It is a different affect then we have seen in Philadelphia and New Orleans. Sea leveling rising can be linked to global warming which by proxy is then also related to ice caps melting which we have learned about in other sections. This can lead to different rivers being flooded and have an increase in the water level. Let ’s focus on the area around NYC. Zoom in on the map so you can see the 4 individual arrows in this area clearly. For reference, here is a map of the five boroughs of New York City . We are going to focus on the two sea level trend arrows that fall within the limits of NYC itself. These are “The Battery” at the southern tip of Manhattan, and “ Bergen Point ” on the northern part of Staten Island . 1. What is the relative sea level trend at each of these two locations? a. The Battery: 2.87 mm/year b. Bergen Point: 4.44mm/year

EES 0836 probability of a 100-year flood in the area. The included figure shows the extent of the 100-year floodplain in 2013 (just post-Sandy) and estimates of the extent of the 100-year floodplain in the 2020s and 2050s as it changes due to rising sea levels . 1 . Compare the geographical extent of the floodplains and floodplain projections in the provided figure. What can you say about the predicted future changes in the extent of the 100-year floodplain compared to the location of the 2013 100-year floodplain ? There could potential be cities that are completely submerged in water. This will cause people to have to move to different areas that are farther away from the coast which will increase the population in different areas since larger populations seem to live on the coast . 2 . Which boroughs do you think are most at risk from increased coastal flooding as a result of rising sea levels ? Brooklyn and Queens are probably going to be the most affected by the flooding because of where they are as well as the buildings that are there and the people that live there will be more decimated then the other boroughs. They will have less of a place to go afterwards and their buildings are not going to be able to withstand anything in the sense of flooding . 3 . Given what you know about cities (population, waste, utilities, business, industry, etc.), what would be the environmental impact from future flooding events in NYC ? There will probably be an environmental impact if NYC were to be flooded. Any and all ecosystems that are established on the island will be ruined with the flooding and the migration of a mass amount of people will alter how the different cities and places they are in . 4 . Given everything you have seen in this exercise, what, if anything, do you think NYC should be doing about all this ? More information should be provided about this being a concern for those living in NYC so that those that might not have a whole lot of other potion can prepare accordingly and try to make it so that there is the safest way for them to either leave the island if something like this is going to happen or just making their home safer and having different kits to be able to survive . 5 . Considering that flooding events are relatively infrequent, does this frequency of flooding events impact your answer ? No, It does not impact my answer. People should be educated on potential natural disasters that might

EES 0836 occur . Part 4 : Sea Walls ? Because of our warming climate and sea levels rising globally, many governments and/or agencies are concerned with protecting our coastal areas from flooding. Since we focused on NYC throughout this activity, we will continue to do so for this last part . Read the article from the New York Times about a Sea Wall in Staten Island and answer the following questions . 1. Do you think constructing a 6-mile-long sea wall is the best way to protect Staten Island? Explain why or why not. It would only be something that helps for a small period of time. The wall is indestructible so things can happen it can break it can be withered down in time. So, as a more permanent fix it is not the best of ideas especially if sea levels continue to rise then the wall would probably have to be continued to work on without a guarantee of it really helping when the times comes. 2. Do you think constructing a wall addresses the issues associated with a warming climate and the trends in sea level, or does this wall signify that we are accepting warming/sea level rise as being inevitable? I believe that constructing a wall is accepting defeat, if progress can be made in making an effort to counter rising sea levels then we should not give up on that. 3. Does the cost of the wall challenge your thinking on its construction in any way? I think it continues to prove that it is not a good idea. That is so much money for something that is not going to fix the problem and it is only going to maybe be a preventative measure that isn ’ t gonna really work when it comes down to a long term solution. 4. Is this a ‘one size fits all’ approach, or do you think we need to do more than just build walls to fix the issues associated with rising sea levels? Explain your answer. Since it is an environmental issue, I don ’ t think something like a wall is going to be what fixes this issue. This is a how we are treating the planet and our lifestyles that are the issue. In order to stop sea level rising to stop we need to prevent the way global warming is increasing rapidly which means we need to reduce the number of fumes are going into the atmosphere and the amount fo waste we all produce as individuals and what happens with that waste.